If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know I’m a big Donald Miller fan. His A Million Miles in a Thousand Years was a book that got me through some tough times, especially while visiting my mother during her lengthy hospital stay.

But before I read that book, I read Miller’s 2003 bestseller, Blue Like Jazz. As someone who’s spent a good amount of time questioning and understanding my faith, I could strongly identify with Miller in the book as he explored his own. Filled with humor, wit and some deep thoughts, the book’s cover describes it as “nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality.”

After reading the book, it was great to learn that a movie was in the works…and this process was explored at length in A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

But beyond the thoughts and ideas that are part of Don Miller’s Blue Like Jazz, is the interesting way this movie got produced. Back in September 2010, the movie was put on hold because additional money was needed to produce it. Enter Zach Prichard and Jonathan Frazier who launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the film. Ultimately more than 4,400 people raised $345,992 to help make Blue Like Jazz a movie reality. For more details about the campaign, visit the Save Blue Like Jazz site.

As a communications major who studied film and video production in college, I would have never dreamed something like Kickstarter would be around to help make so many creative dreams a reality.

If you’re interested in seeing the movie, there’s a month-long promotional tour through March before it opens officially on April 13. Please check the BLJ Tour Site for dates and locations.

So how about you…have you read Blue Like Jazz or plan to see the movie? What do you think of the trailer? If you could create a Kickstarter campaign, what would it be? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

From a marketing perspective, I really like Mutual of Omaha’s “A-ha Moments” campaign. While I don’t think each of our aha or lightbulb moments can actually be sponsored (just as Kleenex would not sponsor my next sneeze), I do love how Mutual of Omaha used their commercial to help share a-ha moments from people across the country. The other night I was sitting at my computer with the television on in the background when I heard a familiar voice, Joe Heuer better known as the “Rock N Roll Guru.” He was talking about his philosophy and his a-ha moment. I was sucked in and replayed the commercial several times on my DVR.

This video fits well with my last post about our work stories. Joe’s video here is a great example of someone’s face lighting up when they talk about their life’s purpose. It’s something all of us should strive to discover if we don’t know it already.

I’ve also got a confession to make…I’ve been an admirer of Joe’s since he sent me a copy of his eBook, Dream Tweets. While I never got around to officially reviewing it on my blog, I was really blown away. It’s filled with bite-sized words of wisdom. And because I’m such a rock-n-roll fan, Joe’s message really resonates with me. Joe, if you’re reading this, I’m hoping that one day I’ll run into you at Summerfest as we wait in line for drinks during one of the shows. For me, there’s nothing like talking music (especially classic rock) with passionate music fans.

More than ten years ago, during a time of great personal uncertainty and challenges in my life, I decided to take a series of yoga classes at my local YMCA. I learned many things about myself through those classes and, in honor of September being National Yoga Month, I will share five things I learned (and continue to learn) from yoga.

1. Patience. My closest friends will tell you I’m a pretty patient person, however they don’t sit with me in my car stuck in Chicago traffic. During those moments, you can find me occasionally cursing like a sailor, yelling and muttering to myself in disbelief. One thing I can remember vividly from taking those classes is when class was over and I returned to my car, I felt patient. Honestly, I didn’t care about being right or getting cut off in traffic. Gone was my need to speed up and get to the next destination in a hurry.

2. Flexibility. This is obvious…the more stretching you do, the more flexible you’ll get. One of the first things I noticed when I started doing yoga is how different I felt when I walked. I felt taller and my legs felt stronger – like I had a carefree bounce to my step. But I’ll argue that, as much as yoga helps you to become more flexible in a physical sense, it helps you to become more flexible mentally. I can’t explain it, but this has always been true for me. It feels like my ego takes a back seat to a better version of me when I do yoga.

3. Comfort. Prior to taking a yoga class, I had a number of problems with my neck and back. I kept pulling muscles every time I carried in groceries and I once had an allergic sneeze attack that was so painful, I needed to see a chiropractor. After a series of visits to my chiropractor and physical therapist, I decided to take my yoga class. The process of doing my exercises and yoga has helped me to be pain free. It’s difficult to put a price on comfort.

4. Inner Peace. In addition to patience, I feel a sense of inner peace from doing yoga. I think a good part of this is because of yoga’s focus on the breath and the present moment. Yoga is very meditative and it grounds you. I’ve learned that, even though the world can often feel busy and chaotic, yoga helps me feel at peace despite all the forces that are pulling me in different directions.

5. Bliss. Quite simply, I feel happier when I do yoga. Enough said.

I still do yoga stretches just about every day. I cannot tell you how great it is to start the day doing the sun salutation pose. But, sometimes when I do my stretches at home, I forget to breathe properly. One thing that’s great about yoga classes is the constant reminder of your breath. I don’t know how a yoga teacher feels about this, but yoga poses without the focus on your breathing is more like stretching.

It has been more than ten years since I’ve taken a yoga class and I hope to get back to “class” soon. I’ll never forget how my classes got me through some rough times and opened my eyes to a new reality. If you haven’t tried yoga or you feel a little “out of sorts,” I’d highly recommend taking a class. Usually these classes are drop-in and cost roughly $10 and even free at some locations.

Truth be told, I’m not familiar with John O’Donohue, but I found this video to be amazing and a great start to the new year. Upon further investigation I learned that O’Donohue was an Irish poet, philosopher and former Catholic priest who passed away exactly two years ago today…

If you enjoyed the video and are curious to learn more about O’Donohue, please visit the archives of the NPR program Speaking of Faith (Now called On Being), where you can listen to Krista Tippett’s interview with him in a show titled “The Inner Landscape of Beauty”.

Last month, I did something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time…I took a meditation class. As someone with a plethora of ideas flowing in my head, I felt like I needed a calming influence. It was roughly ten years ago that I first meditated during a yoga class at my local YMCA. I had some great experiences during that time and I remember getting into my car after class not caring whether another driver wanted to cut me off. After all, I had just experienced deep inner peace.

This time around, I hoped that my five-week class would explore meditation in greater depth. I hoped for some big answers to all of my questions and all the “little tricks” that would help me find inner calm.

Our class was small…there were eight of us and we sat in a semi-circle on meditation cushions. We faced a small altar and the swami who was teaching the class. There was a faint smell of incense from the other room. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel a little weird in this setting.

We started each session with a five or ten minute meditation including some prayerful chanting from the swami. I felt relaxed, but my “monkey brain” was still jumping around with random thoughts.

We went on to learn that using a mantra, such as “om” is a useful tool to keep our minds from jumping all over the place. We were also instructed to focus on one of two points: either the point between our eyes or an area in the center of our chest. Our homework was to practice meditation for five or ten minutes every morning.

I found the homework to be challenging and as my mind wandered and I could hear distractions from traffic and my neighbors. But I did find that I had sporadic moments of relaxation and connection with some higher plane.

At each class, the swami asked us about our experience doing our “homework.” Most of us reported having a lot of problems focusing and dealing with distractions, especially a gentleman whose 15 pound cat always jumped on him during his meditations. A couple members of the class reported that they could not find the time or were too distracted to meditate.

The swami answered our questions and assured us that meditation, whether done correctly or not, was a very positive step. He went on to say that our minds really want to be left alone, and the act of meditating was a way we can exercise greater control of our mind.

When my last class was over, I felt slightly let down. I did not have that big “a-ha” moment I had hoped for nor did I feel like I was any better at meditating. I was not sure I felt any different as a result of taking of these classes. And my mind still felt quite untamed.

But now, one week from our last class, I came to a realization that meditation was like a lot of things in life…the simple act of showing up can make the difference. Think about it, how many times have you dreaded working out only to really get into it once you got there? I believe that meditation, and life in general, is a lot like that.

If there is something we really want out of life, whether it be to be a writer, to achieve inner peace through meditation, or to be a chef…we need to show up.Â We may not be good at these things just yet, but the willingness to work at it even when we’re not good will take us closer to where we want to be.

I’ll see you on the meditation cushion (my pillow) tomorrow morning!

Have you experienced moments you were thankful for showing up even when part of you really did not want to?

Twitter has its #FollowFriday, so today I thought I would introduce you to two people whose work I admire. First up, Cathleen Falsani, is someone I’ve been reading in the Chicago Sun-Times for several years. While Falsani is that paper’s religion columnist, I believe her column really transcends any one denomination. She explores a wide range of spiritual topics with a sense of curiosity that everyone can relate to.

Last year, she traveled to Africa where she met a 10 year-old boy named Vasco, an AIDS orphan with a hole in his heart. She managed to set up a trip for Vasco to come to Chicago to get medical treatment for his heart. She detailed that story in the paper and on her blog.

She has also written several books including The God Factor and Sin Boldly: A Field Guide to Grace. If you are into books by Anne Lamott, I’d be willing to bet that you will enjoy those two books. Falsani is described on the book jacket of The God Factor as someone who “has always been interested in discovering God in the places where people say God isn’t supposed to be.”

I’ve read The God Factor and found it interesting and very enjoyable as she interviews many notable public figures about their beliefs including then-Senator Barack Obama, Hugh Hefner, Anne Rice, former Cub (and current Cincinnati Red) manager Dusty Baker and many more. But perhaps one of the most interesting figures she features is U2 singer Bono, whose father grew up Roman Catholic and mother grew up Protestant.

She recently released her third, and most anticipated book (by me): The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers. To read the first chapter of the book, click here.

You can follow Cathleen Falsani on Twitter at @godgrrl and visit her blog here.

I am less familiar (but just as impressed) with Krista Trippett, who is the host of NPR’s Speaking of Faith (now called On Being). The program began as a feature in 2000 and a weekly program in 2003. I always seem to be driving somewhere in my car when her show comes on and I’m always sucked into its stories and features. The NPR website describes her show as a “program about religion, meaning, ethics and ideas.” I would also describe it as a spiritual version of This American Life.

I was especially fascinated (and enlightened) with a recent program about yoga and meditation. Other recent shows have explored Islam and the holiday of Ramadan, the ethics of African aid, and the spirituality of fishing. You can listen to podcasts of her shows at On Being.

Like Falsani, Krista Tippett has a book out and it is titled (coincidentally) Speaking of Faith. I have not read it, but Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl (professor of Law at UCLA) says this on its back cover, “Speaking of Faith is of monumental importance and a source of light in a day and age when the darkness of intolerance, ignorance and hate blinds humanity from itself.”

I invite you to visit Kathleen Falsani and Krista Tippett for some enlightening exploration of spirituality. Have a great weekend!